Mike worked his last day with DPS on Friday. His friends and coworkers gave him a very nice reception at the Courthouse. The cake included a replica of the patch worn on the uniform as well as the sergeant's stripes. It was a bittersweet occasion because he has a great love for his job as well as the people he works with. But, he is ready to move into a new phase of his life, in areas with less stress such as mission work with our church. On Saturday we met some family members in San Antonio to celebrate.
A very nice lady took a picture of us on the Riverwalk. Left to right, bottom row are Mike's brother, Mike and our son Lee. The second row is my brother-in-law's friend, our daughter Ky, me-Kerrie, and Lee's girlfriend.
We toured the Riverwalk, had a great lunch, then spent some of the afternoon at our hotel. We stayed at the Menger. It was built adjacent to the Alamo in 1859. The Menger bar is where Teddy Roosevelt recruited some of his Rough Riders. And, the hotel is said to be haunted. The image of a lady who is sitting and knitting has been reported by guests and staff. We didn't see her but the hotel is heavy with a feeling of history. The weather was very warm and we even spent a little time in the pool. Every time we left our hotel, we passed by the Alamo which is also a place that is heavy with history. Most visitors stand before it in awe and you can feel their reverence for the people who fought there. It is a solemn landmark and I've never lost that respect even though I've been there many times. What an awesome place to visit!
So, we started Mike's retirement in a very special way. This will be an adjustment but we are really looking forward to it.
4 comments:
Happy and fruitful retirement to you! Of course we know retirement does not mean a cessation of work, but a change of where the work and commitment is aimed.Mission work? What kind?
How special it is for you to have those you love most be there with you during this major change in your lives. Bless you1
That's very exciting. Congratulations. I'm afraid my husband will never be able to retire. Seriously. Sad to contemplate.
I hope you guys find a wonderful new rhythm together.
Congrats to him..I hope his next phase is everything he is looking for.
Thant you all for your well wishes. Mike told someone that he is retiring from his job, not from life. I'm looking out the window at him right now. He is taking apart all the pieces of the old bridge he had built across the tank. He plans to reuse the wood. The weather is humid but not too hot. He has only been in the house to get a drink of water and he looks happy.
As for the mission work that we want to do, we have a small group that used to repair houses for the elderly and very low income people in our area. We haven't worked together in about 8 years because of everyone's jobs and schedules. Now we want to revive it! Our women's group is looking into "adopting" this historical AME church that is across the road from me. All the old members are gone now and it really needs looking after. We used to sit on our porch and listen to the preacher and the choir. Very special to me!
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